REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Clinical Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1627949
From Laboratory to Clinic: Opportunities and Challenges of Functional Food Active Ingredients in Cancer Therapy
Provisionally accepted
- 1Graduate School of Anhui Medical University, Hefei City, China
- 2Shizhong District People’s Hospital, Zao Zhuang, ZaoZhuang, China
- 3The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei City, China
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This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential of functional food active ingredients in cancer prevention and therapy. It outlines the multifaceted anti-cancer mechanisms of bioactive compounds -such as polyphenols, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, phytosterols, alkaloids, as well as isothiocyanates, polysaccharides, phenolic acids, flavonols, and amide-bearing compounds -which include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, induction of apoptosis and autophagy, modulation of the tumor microenvironment, interference with cell cycle regulation and signaling pathways, and regulation of cancer-related microRNA expression. The review further discusses the synergistic effects of these compounds when combined with conventional treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy, highlighting their role in enhancing efficacy and mitigating side effects. Despite promising preclinical data, challenges such as poor bioavailability, dose-dependent safety concerns, and the need for largescale randomized clinical trials and regulatory standardization remain. Future directions proposed include advanced nanodelivery systems, eutectic technologies, and precision nutrition strategies, which together could accelerate the translation of these natural compounds from the laboratory to clinical application. Ultimately, the integration of functional food active ingredients into comprehensive cancer care may offer novel, safer, and more personalized approaches to oncologic treatment and prevention.
Keywords: Functional Food, bioactive compounds, cancer therapy, nanodelivery systems, Precision nutrition
Received: 14 May 2025; Accepted: 11 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Ren and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yahui Xu, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei City, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.